Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Photos
As a side note, there are almost 800 photos. Therefore, it could be a while before many of them are uploaded. But I promise they will come.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Spring Break
The last 17 days were a whirlwind, and the most amazing experience of my life. I won't be able to share all the stories because there are just too many, but I will try my best to include everything I did.
Paris: Day 1: We just wandered around for the first day saw the outside of the Louvre and went up the Champs de Elysee, and saw the Eiffel Tower from afar. We used the evening to go see the Moulin Rouge in the red light district before having an early night with a 2euro bottle of wine.
Day 2: We went on a free walking tour and saw Notre Dame, Place St. Michael, had some bridges and stuff explained to us. We also went up in the Eiffel Tower and went to the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa and the statue of Aphrodite. We sat in a little cafe for desert where we had creme brulee.
Day 3: We went on a boat tour up and down the Seine and had lunch on the Champs de Mar (the lawn in front of the eiffel tower). Then we went to catch the train to Munich where we ran into two of my roommates from home. This was completely unplanned, and unexpected. We ended up being on the same train, in the same car, in the compartment next to them.
Munich: Day 1: First we went on a free walking tour of the city, later we met up with amber's friend Taylor and everyone went on the Munich beer challenge. This consisted of 3 liters of beer and a shot of jaeger if you drank everything they suggested, I only had 2 liters of beer and the shot -- luckily no hang over.
Day 2: We went Neuschwanstein Castle in the alps with some of the people we met on the beer challenge. This is the castle that is said to be the inspiration for the Disney castles. The castle was about 2 hours from Munich and that is where we spent our whole day. We decided not to go inside, which was fine because we were later told it wasn't worth it. The alps were absolutely beautiful, and everything was exactly how you would picture Bavaria.
Day 3: We just explored the city on our own and had Bavarian stew which was delicious. We also went to a biergarten that evening.
Day 4: We went on a free bike tour around the city which took us to a nude meadow and yet another biergarten. We also went and saw Munich's Olympic Park.
Rome:Day 1: We went to the Vatican first which took about 3 hours to see. This included St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Then we had our first serving of gelato which is AMAZING, American ice cream will no longer do. Then we worked our way to the Spanish Steps. Here we unexpectedly ran into some guys we know who are studying in Glasgow and made plans to meet up later to go out. Then we went to the Trevi Fountain, where I made several wishes. We met up with guys for a pub crawl later- I think this is self explanatory.
Day 2: We went to the Colosseum, Palitine Hill, and the Forum. We went back later that night to see the Colosseum lit up and had gelato at the Trevi Fountai.
Day 3: We explored some parts of the city that had been recommended to us by girls we met in Munich. We happened upon a really cool little market and some other interesting sites we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
Florence: Day 1: We arrived in Florence around dinner time, and met up with again for gelato. The first full day we went to a market with the girls before their train and then went to Pisa for the afternoon. In Pisa we took the typical cliche pictures holding up the tower and looked around at more markets. That night we just relaxed in the hostel with another 2 euro bottle of wine made in Tuscany.
Day 2: We went to a park on the edge of the city that offered great views of the city and then caught our train for a connection in Milan before going to Barcelona
Barcelona: Day 1: We spent our morning exploring Barcelona's Olympic Park before meeting up with Taylor and Lena, who we stayed with. They took us to a couple of cathedrals and the city center. We went to a market, a couple of vintage shops and we had a sort of random dinner and went out that night to a bar where we had mojito's.
Day 2: We went to the beach for a couple of hours and then went to Segrada Familia, which is a cathedral designed by Gaudi that has been being built since the late 1800 and still is not finished. That evening we mostly just relaxed because Taylor and Lena both had exams the next day.
Day 3: We went to the beach again and then up to Park Gual, a park designed by Gaudi. That night i had paella for dinner with sangria, later we went out on a bit of a pub crawl with some of Taylor and Lena's friends.
Madrid: Day 1: We spent our afternoon in Madrid visiting an art gallery and saw the Guernica by Picasso, along with a lot of other works by him and works by Dali. That evening we went to a little sangria bar someone we met in Rome told us about and it was very delicious.
Day 2: Our full day in Madrid we explored the city and saw the palace, main cathedral, a few famous squares, the oldest restaurant in the world, the only statue the exists of Satan and some other sites. That evening/afternoon we went on a tapas experience-- we went to 4 tapas bars where we tried traditional foods and more sangria. After that we went with the people on our tour to the sangria bar from the night before, before heading to the airport for the night.
We got back to Edinburgh around 1 on Sunday, and I plan on catching up on munch needed rest for the next few days. Our trip was an absolutely amazing experience and I hope I have the chance to go back to some of these cities and spend more time enjoying what they have to offer.
Paris: Day 1: We just wandered around for the first day saw the outside of the Louvre and went up the Champs de Elysee, and saw the Eiffel Tower from afar. We used the evening to go see the Moulin Rouge in the red light district before having an early night with a 2euro bottle of wine.
Day 2: We went on a free walking tour and saw Notre Dame, Place St. Michael, had some bridges and stuff explained to us. We also went up in the Eiffel Tower and went to the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa and the statue of Aphrodite. We sat in a little cafe for desert where we had creme brulee.
Day 3: We went on a boat tour up and down the Seine and had lunch on the Champs de Mar (the lawn in front of the eiffel tower). Then we went to catch the train to Munich where we ran into two of my roommates from home. This was completely unplanned, and unexpected. We ended up being on the same train, in the same car, in the compartment next to them.
Munich: Day 1: First we went on a free walking tour of the city, later we met up with amber's friend Taylor and everyone went on the Munich beer challenge. This consisted of 3 liters of beer and a shot of jaeger if you drank everything they suggested, I only had 2 liters of beer and the shot -- luckily no hang over.
Day 2: We went Neuschwanstein Castle in the alps with some of the people we met on the beer challenge. This is the castle that is said to be the inspiration for the Disney castles. The castle was about 2 hours from Munich and that is where we spent our whole day. We decided not to go inside, which was fine because we were later told it wasn't worth it. The alps were absolutely beautiful, and everything was exactly how you would picture Bavaria.
Day 3: We just explored the city on our own and had Bavarian stew which was delicious. We also went to a biergarten that evening.
Day 4: We went on a free bike tour around the city which took us to a nude meadow and yet another biergarten. We also went and saw Munich's Olympic Park.
Rome:Day 1: We went to the Vatican first which took about 3 hours to see. This included St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Then we had our first serving of gelato which is AMAZING, American ice cream will no longer do. Then we worked our way to the Spanish Steps. Here we unexpectedly ran into some guys we know who are studying in Glasgow and made plans to meet up later to go out. Then we went to the Trevi Fountain, where I made several wishes. We met up with guys for a pub crawl later- I think this is self explanatory.
Day 2: We went to the Colosseum, Palitine Hill, and the Forum. We went back later that night to see the Colosseum lit up and had gelato at the Trevi Fountai.
Day 3: We explored some parts of the city that had been recommended to us by girls we met in Munich. We happened upon a really cool little market and some other interesting sites we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
Florence: Day 1: We arrived in Florence around dinner time, and met up with again for gelato. The first full day we went to a market with the girls before their train and then went to Pisa for the afternoon. In Pisa we took the typical cliche pictures holding up the tower and looked around at more markets. That night we just relaxed in the hostel with another 2 euro bottle of wine made in Tuscany.
Day 2: We went to a park on the edge of the city that offered great views of the city and then caught our train for a connection in Milan before going to Barcelona
Barcelona: Day 1: We spent our morning exploring Barcelona's Olympic Park before meeting up with Taylor and Lena, who we stayed with. They took us to a couple of cathedrals and the city center. We went to a market, a couple of vintage shops and we had a sort of random dinner and went out that night to a bar where we had mojito's.
Day 2: We went to the beach for a couple of hours and then went to Segrada Familia, which is a cathedral designed by Gaudi that has been being built since the late 1800 and still is not finished. That evening we mostly just relaxed because Taylor and Lena both had exams the next day.
Day 3: We went to the beach again and then up to Park Gual, a park designed by Gaudi. That night i had paella for dinner with sangria, later we went out on a bit of a pub crawl with some of Taylor and Lena's friends.
Madrid: Day 1: We spent our afternoon in Madrid visiting an art gallery and saw the Guernica by Picasso, along with a lot of other works by him and works by Dali. That evening we went to a little sangria bar someone we met in Rome told us about and it was very delicious.
Day 2: Our full day in Madrid we explored the city and saw the palace, main cathedral, a few famous squares, the oldest restaurant in the world, the only statue the exists of Satan and some other sites. That evening/afternoon we went on a tapas experience-- we went to 4 tapas bars where we tried traditional foods and more sangria. After that we went with the people on our tour to the sangria bar from the night before, before heading to the airport for the night.
We got back to Edinburgh around 1 on Sunday, and I plan on catching up on munch needed rest for the next few days. Our trip was an absolutely amazing experience and I hope I have the chance to go back to some of these cities and spend more time enjoying what they have to offer.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Spring Break
I leave for spring break in less than 12 hours. Internet access will be very limited so look for updates sometime after April 26 when I get back. Our itinerary is Paris(9-11), Munich(12-15), Rome(16-18), Florence(19-20), Barcelona(21-23), and Madrid(24-26). We have a really busy schedule but it will be extremely worth it!
See you guys in 2 1/2 weeks!!
See you guys in 2 1/2 weeks!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Newcastle
I spent the day Saturday in Newcastle, England...home to the brown ale. We took an early train and arrived there at about 9:30. In Gateshead, an adjacent town, is the Angle of the North. This is a massive steel sculpture the height of 4 double-deck-er buses, and with a wing span of a jumbo jet. The best thing I can compare it to is the statue of liberty. When you see it, you know its big, but your mind just cannot process the immense size.
After visiting the statue we just spent time wandering around the city and looking at shops, until time for the Newcastle United vs. Chelsea football (soccer) match. This was my first European football match and it was crazy, something I will never forget. The atmosphere is similar to that of an American football game...on steroids. Everyone in the stadium knew about 10-15 different chants, don't ask me what any of them were I have no clue what they were saying. The only words I could make out were the cuss words. Chelsea won 2-0.
We ended up sitting in a pub for a few hours after the game waiting for our train home, where we met some very interesting characters. Football hooligans! These guys were Chelsea fans, and they were steamin (drunk). One of them was chanting the entire ride home, and the others were slurring their words so much I had a hard time understanding what they were saying. They talked to us for a bit about America and argued with us over which country is better.
Newcastle was an awesome time, and I will never forget my first football match in Europe.
After visiting the statue we just spent time wandering around the city and looking at shops, until time for the Newcastle United vs. Chelsea football (soccer) match. This was my first European football match and it was crazy, something I will never forget. The atmosphere is similar to that of an American football game...on steroids. Everyone in the stadium knew about 10-15 different chants, don't ask me what any of them were I have no clue what they were saying. The only words I could make out were the cuss words. Chelsea won 2-0.
We ended up sitting in a pub for a few hours after the game waiting for our train home, where we met some very interesting characters. Football hooligans! These guys were Chelsea fans, and they were steamin (drunk). One of them was chanting the entire ride home, and the others were slurring their words so much I had a hard time understanding what they were saying. They talked to us for a bit about America and argued with us over which country is better.
Newcastle was an awesome time, and I will never forget my first football match in Europe.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Cramond, and spring break
First I must say the weather here has been absolutely beautiful the past couple of days. It has been sunny and between 50-65 degrees all week.
Tuesday, Amber and I took advantage of this beautiful weather and went to a village, on the Firth of Forth, called Cramond. This is a small fishing village where the River Almond joins with the forth. There is also an island (Cramond Island) just off the shore. When the tide is out there is a mile long causeway you can walk down to access the island which was used during the first and second world wars. The island has many remains from the former base including, barracks, and artillary and amunition store houses. Unfortunatly, many teens have taken out their teenage angst on the buildings covering them in graffiti. Once safely back ashore we got ice cream at a small cafe along the river promenade. We followed a nature trail along the river for about a mile before ending up back in civilization a mile from the closest bus stop.
Today, Amber and I booked all the travel for our spring break trip. We will be taking mostly night trains throughout Europe for 2 1/2 weeks. Our itenerary includes Paris, Munich, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, and Madrid. I am extremely excited and feel so lucky that I have this opportunity.
Tuesday, Amber and I took advantage of this beautiful weather and went to a village, on the Firth of Forth, called Cramond. This is a small fishing village where the River Almond joins with the forth. There is also an island (Cramond Island) just off the shore. When the tide is out there is a mile long causeway you can walk down to access the island which was used during the first and second world wars. The island has many remains from the former base including, barracks, and artillary and amunition store houses. Unfortunatly, many teens have taken out their teenage angst on the buildings covering them in graffiti. Once safely back ashore we got ice cream at a small cafe along the river promenade. We followed a nature trail along the river for about a mile before ending up back in civilization a mile from the closest bus stop.
Today, Amber and I booked all the travel for our spring break trip. We will be taking mostly night trains throughout Europe for 2 1/2 weeks. Our itenerary includes Paris, Munich, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, and Madrid. I am extremely excited and feel so lucky that I have this opportunity.
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